


Just girls? No, not just girls

by girls_amirite



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: Alex Mercer Has Anxiety (Julie and the Phantoms), Bisexual Disaster Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Bisexual Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Coming Out, Episode: s01e07 Edge of Great, Episode: s01e08 Unsaid Emily, Episode: s01e09 Stand Tall, F/M, Gay Alex Mercer (Julie and The Phantoms), Good Friend Alex Mercer (Julie and The Phantoms), I'm so sorry, Jealous Reggie, M/M, Unrequited Love, alex is so done, and lots of pining, but like what did you expect, but what's new, self-realization
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:08:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29798580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girls_amirite/pseuds/girls_amirite
Summary: When Luke tests out their "chemistry", Alex notices that something's off about Reggie-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Basically Reggie realizing that he's bi from Alex's POV, with a pinch (a lot) of Willex and a bit of Juke. And yes, I'm quoting Six of Crows in the title, whatcha gonna do about it??
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Alex Mercer & Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Luke Patterson/Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 68





	1. Girls, am I right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always wanted to read this scene from Alex's pov but seems like no one else did? so I wrote it and now it turned to a fic.
> 
> I won't abandon it, don't worry

It happened during a rehearsal.

Alex had just talked to Willie. It… didn’t go well, to say the least. When Willie disappeared, Alex felt his heart sink, like something very, very important has been ripped out of him. And it wasn’t even that Willie led them to Caleb - everyone screws up sometimes, trusts the wrong people. What really hurt was that Willie just left, went on with his life, like he and Alex had never met.

His chest was filled with this constant, dull pain, his head felt numb and his hands itched to punch, to play, to _do something_ , so he took it out on his drums. The sounds filled his head and drowned out everything else. It was good, taking a break from all the thoughts racing through his head.

_CLANG_

_CLASH_

_CLANG_

_CLASH_

_CLANG-_

Alex froze. There was no other sound. The clatter of his drums echoed through the studio, Luke and Reggie both stopped playing and were now exchanging glances and looking back at him. 

“Alex, you alright?” asked Luke

“Yeah,” Alex said “yeah. Why?”

He should’ve kept his hands at bay, he mentally kicked himself. Now his friends are just going to worry, and that never helps.

Luke looked over at Reggie, looking for support.

The bassist sighed, “I know it’s tough man. People say you never forget your first ghost,” 

Here it comes, Alex thought and Reggie continued:

“And maybe that’s true. But- uh, I’m sure there will be others!”

Others, huh. No, he didn’t want others. What he wanted was for this awkward conversation to come to an end and for the rehearsal to continue.

“Yeah, thanks, Reg,” he mumbled

Luke leaned over one of the drums “And Alex, you’re a great drummer _and_ a great guy, okay?” he said “I wouldn’t let all that stuff get in between you and what you love,”

That was the thing about Luke: he _loved_ talking. He loved metaphors, he loved allusions, he loved rhymes and flowery speeches. When he started talking, he couldn’t shut up. Alex mentally prepared himself for a pep-talk, something he definitely did not fancy at the moment.

Thankfully, Reggie noticed his miserable expression and changed the subject, “I dunno man, sometimes a little fire can make things better on stage. Like you and Julie” he added, raising his eyebrows suggestively

“Uh, wha- what is that supposed to mean?” Luke shifted uncomfortably

This… wasn’t what Alex had expected. Out of them, Luke was definitely closest to Julie. It was obvious that the two had a connection, different than the girl had with Alex or Reggie, the way he talked about her, the way he could go hours upon hours hanging out and writing with her. The two had grown extremely close in the span of these couple weeks they had been ghosts, but Alex was sure he was the only one noticing something sparking between the pair. Maybe he should give Reggie a bit more credit, he thought. On the other side, the two were really, _really_ obvious. Luke even gave up his place in the band as the lead singer, something no one thought would happen, _ever_. Now he stood back and sang with Julie like he used to with Reggie. Alex wondered if the bassist ever missed being Luke’s favourite.

He looked back at Reggie, who continued teasing the other boy

“Come on. Everyone can see the way you look at her when you sing” he grinned, clearly pleased by the effect his words had “You guys _ooze_ chemistry,”

“You should never say ‘ooze’ again,” Alex said, standing up, “but, yeah, I agree”

“Ok, no. I have chemistry with everybody that I sing with” Luke laughed, more defending himself than anything else. Reggie and Alex exchanged amused glances. “Seriously, watch” he said and started singing.

It was “Great”, the song they were supposed to play this evening. Luke started with the chorus

_I believe,_

He stepped towards Reggie

_I believe that we’re just one dream,_

And then something changed. Reggie’s smile dropped. His shoulders tensed.

_Away from who we’re meant to be,_

Luke stepped closer and grabbed the back of Reggie’s neck. They were standing so close, practically nose to nose. Reggie’s face flushed.

_That we’re standing on the edge of-_

It was obvious - Reggie was panicking. His face was deep red, his breath shortened and his hands gripped the sleeve of his flannel. He scanned Luke’s face up and down.

_Great,_ Luke finished quietly

“Wow,” Alex interrupted “I see chemistry”

Reggie swallowed, “That was pretty hot,” he practically squeaked

Luke kissed his fingers and pressed them to Reggie’s lips. Grinning, he turned back and picked up his guitar, leaving Reggie a total mess. 

The bassist inhaled, staring at the back of Luke’s head and blushed even deeper. After a few seconds he cleared his throat, way louder than you normally do.

“ _Girls_ , am I right?” he waved his hand

“Yeah,” Luke said

“No,” Alex grinned, sitting back to count off the next song

The rehearsal continued like they never stopped playing. The only thing that changed was Reggie’s behaviour - his hands were shaking, he stuttered on every other line and Alex could swear he saw his cheeks flush pink every time Luke got closer to him. He had no idea how to understand it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So
> 
> whatcha think? The next couple of hours are skipped in the show so that's where Im gonna start the next part.


	2. Am I right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time of the performance is coming and the ~tensions~ are rising.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part is a bit longer than the first. Hope you enjoy :)

It was not getting better.

Julie came back from school right after they finished playing. The minute she walked in, Luke jumped to the grand piano where he left his journal. Reggie puffed out before he could get in the middle of their writing process. Both he and Alex had enough of watching the two whisper into each other’s ears and gaze into each other’s eyes, so they tried to disappear as quickly as possible. This time Alex wasn’t as lucky - he had to wipe his drums after using and stayed a bit longer. Luke and Julie were seated and ready to sing before Julie noticed him standing by the instruments.

“Alex!” she jumped off the stool when she realized the ghost was still in the studio

“I… should probably leave,”

“What?” she smiled, or forced a smile. Either way, it wasn’t very convincing. Jeez, you don’t have to be  _ that _ obvious, he thought “It’s nothing, you know, it’s just…” she gestured to Luke and the piano, their usual writing spot, and smiled an even wider, more awkward smile.

This was getting uncomfortable. Alex knew he was the last one in the band who should be writing songs, but these two weren’t just talking about lyrics. When they were writing, they  _ bonded.  _ Writing became a ritual of sorts, it became their thing.

“Okay,” he mumbled and puffed out

When he appeared in Julie’s bedroom, Reggie was already here. He was laying on her bed, boots and jacket on. The CD was playing. The boy bounced his leg to some old rock song, one that they would listen to in the 90's while looking for inspiration for their own band. It all crashed with the pastel pinks and glitter of Julie' room, creating an unsettling feeling, like the air was buzzing and vibrating.

“Julie isn’t gonna be happy if her bed’s all nasty when she comes back,” Alex said, gesturing to the boy’s boots on the bed

Reggie jumped at the sound of his voice and reached out for the CD player

“Wait,” Alex said before he could turn it off “did you take that from Luke’s house?”

That was where all of their old CD’s landed after they died - in Luke’s room, stacked in the boxes under his bed, not a single bit of dust on them. Emily and Mitch cared for them, along with all of Luke’s things, as if their son left yesterday.

“No,” the other boy looked down

“Reggie, I’m not deaf. This is Luke singing.”

He crossed his arms “Am I not allowed to listen to our songs anymore?”

Alex rolled his eyes “You know that Luke’s downstairs, right?”

“Yeah, but he’s… with Julie,” he mumbled “being all smile-y and blush-ey”

This Alex could understand. It was exhausting, walking around Luke and Julie when they were writing. Like you didn’t exist, like  _ nothing _ existed except for them, their lyrics and Luke’s old notebook. What he didn’t understand was Reggie suddenly going quiet when the subject was brought up.

“So,” he decided to change the topic, seeing as they were spending the next few hours together and he didn’t want their conversation to get any more awkward than it already was “what’s up with Julie’s dad?”

“Julie’s dad?” Reggie repeated “Oh, he’s great. He’s bringing some of his friends tonight, they’re going to record us and put the video on ‘You-Tube’,” 

Was that good? It sounded like it was “You- what?” he asked. It was exactly what Reggie had been waiting for

“Oh, it’s a new thing I learned from Julie,” he beamed and stood up “it’s this site on the Internet where you upload videos for thousands of people to see…”

He started explaining everything about ‘You-Tube’ he learned, either from Julie or from watching Rey and Carlos, and Alex zoned out. It was a good thing, seeing him lit up like that, especially because after what happened this morning, Reggie’s smile dropped and his usual upbeat attitude noticeably toned down. Now, rambling about the most random things brought back his smile, and Alex felt like something heavy was lifted off his chest.

After two hours or so, they heard Julie call from downstairs

“Alex! Reggie!” the sound of her footsteps echoed through the stairs and both boys puffed into the studio before Julie could catch them in her room. They weren’t doing anything - no going through her stuff, no messing up the room, but better be safe than sorry

“You done  _ writing _ ?” Alex asked Luke, raising his eyebrows suggestively. With the corner of his eye he saw Reggie wince

“What?” Luke’s head shot up

“Nothing,” and he sat behind his drums

Reggie picked up his guitar “Yeah, why are you writing a few hours before our performance?” he demanded “shouldn’t we be, I don’t know, rehearsing?”

“This isn’t our last performance, Reggie” Luke laughed “we need new songs for new gigs,”

“You could take one afternoon off, though,” the boy shrugged and they started playing

Alex frowned. Reggie was in that strange mood again. It was unusual for him to snap like that, especially when it came to Luke. Around him, the bassist was like a ray of sunshine - brightening up every room he walked in with his contagious smile, cracking jokes and effortlessly getting everyone’s mood up with his upbeat attitude. And now? Now he was sulking, leaning over his guitar with this miserably expression plastered to his face and barely batting an eye in the singers’ direction. Strange, Alex thought.

“And then we come in on the chorus,” said Luke

“Wait, chorus? Aren’t we supposed to come in earlier?” Reggie asked, tightening a string on his bass

“We changed it up a bit. I was thinking we should do something special for ‘Great’,” he explained

Reggie frowned, “Maybe she should just sing the whole song alone,” he snarled, still messing with his guitar, “maybe Alex and I should just stay backstage so you two can gaze into each other’s eyes and sing your little songs without us, just the two of you,”

Alex’s jaw dropped. He had never  _ once _ in his life heard Reggie talk like that

Reggie pinched his nose “Sorry guys, I-” he looked up at Luke, anger replaced by crimson spreading over his face “I guess I miss the old times,”

Something was definitely wrong. He knew Reggie missed the 90’s - they all did. When they’d hang out in the studio after school, when Bobby was still their friend, when they didn’t have to hide their existence and disappear the second a song ended. They missed their old homes, their families and friends. They missed Sunset Curve and they missed the old LA. But this wasn’t it. This wasn’t about missing the old times. Reggie was  _ jealous.  _ He was jealous of Luke and, more importantly, he was jealous of Luke and Julie. Alex saw it in his eyes when they shared the mic like Reggie and Luke used to. He could see it in the way Reggie’s shoulders tensed whenever their hands almost brushed. He saw it when Reggie disappeared every time Luke and Julie stayed in the studio to work on lyrics. 

But he didn’t say anything. He let the atmosphere cool off. He let everyone forget about the falling out. He let Julie pat Luke on the back, forgetting that his body was made of air and ended up hitting her hand on the wall. He let them both burst out laughing and laughed with them. He let Reggie crack a stupid joke despite the sad glimpse in his eyes. He didn’t say a word and continued playing until the time of the performance came.

Julie’s garden was loaded with all sorts of people. It wasn’t just her friends from school - there were students, their families and friends. When Flynn wanted to make something big and spectacular, she really gave it all. The guests were chatting and laughing, excited to see Julie and her ‘hologram band’. Alex watched them from behind the fence. Man, he wished Willie was here. The ghost hasn’t shown up after their confrontation this morning and Alex was beginning to think he really wasn’t coming back. Something twisted inside of him. Thinking about it only got his hopes up and he wasn’t ready for another disappointment. He let out a breath and puffed to the studio. 

Reggie was sitting on the chair, one leg over the armrest and the other on the table, scribbling in his notebook. Could this boy ever sit straight?

“Whatcha got here?” Alex looked over Reggie’s shoulder

The boy shut the notebook “Nothing.” 

“Come on, I can see you were writing something,”

Reggie sighed, “Just song ideas. It’s not like we’re going to play any of my dumb country,” he laughed. He was right, of course, but Alex didn't like the way the boy's shoulders dropped when he said it.

“Where are the others?” Alex changed the subject

Reggie shrugged, “Who knows with them,”

“I’m serious,”

“You’re no fun,” Reggie pouted. Alex raised an eyebrow and Reggie sighed and gave in “Still in her room,” 

“Okay,”

“Now that I think about it,” Reggie frowned, “how come she only invites him there?”

For a second, he considered saying nothing on the matter - Reggie was obviously sensitive on the subject, as Alex recently observed. But Reggie was his friend - he shouldn’t have to weigh every word before saying it out loud. Reggie having a crush on Luke changes nothing, he scolded himself, stop treating him like a kid. You don’t even know for sure.

“I guess it’s another one of their ‘bonding’ things,” he replied

“Oh,” Reggie forced a grin

“Yeah,” their conversation was taking an uncomfortable turn. It happened way too often these times, he thought, “we should probably get ready for the performance,”

"Yeah," Reggie put the notebook on the coffee table and puffed onto the loft

"It would take you a few seconds to get up there, Reginald,"

The boy stuck out his tongue and dropped two bags

"It's probably going to be colder in the evening," he noted. Sensible Reggie. Weird. Did it have something to do with his crush on Luke or was Alex going insane?

Luke came in a few minutes later, saying something about his guitar

He set the instrument down and went to make sure all cables are connected

"Wait, where's Julie?" Reggie asked

"We thought she was with you," Alex added

"She's with Flynn,"

"Oh, okay," Reggie forced back a smile. How could Alex not notice this before? "Yeah, that makes sense,"

Luke dropped next to Reggie, oblivious to him flushing red, "You ready to rock this, boys?"

"Yeah!" they high-fived

Maybe it's not as bad as he thought, Alex smiled to himself.

Julie came rushing in when Flynn announced their performance. She turned off the lights and gestured for them to stop talking

“What’s up everybody!” Flynn exclaimed from her stand, “It’s time to put your hands up, do a little dance, yup, here’s the new anthem from Julie and the Phantoms!”

“That was cool,” Alex heard Reggie, followed by multiple ‘hush’-es, and the studio flooded with light from the outside.

Everybody was looking at them. They couldn’t see the ghosts, of course, but it didn’t make Alex any less nervous.

“Thanks for coming, everyone,” Julie said and sat behind her piano. She exhaled and started singing,

_ Running from the past, _

_ Tripping on the now, _

_ What is lost can be found,  _

_ It’s obvious, _

__ There were some cheers in the audience, nothing loud enough to drown out her singing

_ Like a rubber ball, _

_ We come bouncing back, _

_ We all got a second act, _

_ Inside of us, _

__ This was when they come in. Something tightened in Alex’s chest. One second they were his in the dark, invisible to all but Julie, another - all eyes were on them, all lights were on and they played with the girl. Just like old times, he thought.  _ No, too much has changed, _ a voice in his head argued. It’s better like that, he insisted.  _ Suit yourself.  _ If the voice had a face, it would be grinning.

_ I believe, _

_ I believe that we’re just one dream, _

__ People were laughing and filming. It was a good start, Alex thought. Julie stood up, Luke and Reggie were dancing with her

_ Away from who we’re meant to be, _

_ That we’re standing on the edge of... _

__ She turned to Reggie, dancing and laughing as she sang

_ Something, something crazy, _

_ Our best is yet unknown, _

_ That this moment is ours to own, _

She smiled at Alex

_ ‘Cause we’re standing on the edge of great, _

Something was wrong, Alex thought. Julie completely ignored Luke

_ On the edge of great,  _ they chanted with her

_ Great, _

_ On the edge of great, _

Alex must’ve been the only one who noticed it. Julie stood next to Reggie, singing to the audience and not batting an eye in Luke’s direction. What was going on? Did they get into a fight?

_ Great, _

_ On the edge of great, _

_ ‘Cause we’re standing on the edge of great, _

_ Yeah, we all make mistakes,  _ Luke sang his part

_ But they’re just stepping stones, _

_ To take us where we wanna go, _

_ It’s never straight, no,  _ Luke glanced at her and nodded for her to share the mic with him, but Julie only smiled and continued singing

_ Sometimes we gotta lean, _

__ Luke’s smile slipped. No, no, no, Alex thought. You are  _ not  _ doing this right now.

_ Lean on someone else, _

_ To get a little help, _

_ Until we find a way, _

_ I believe, _

_ I believe that we’re just one dream, _

__ Now Reggie had noticed it too. He walked over to Luke, but the boy’s attention was on Julie.

_ Away from who we’re meant to be, _

_ Now we’re standing on the edge of, _

_ Something big, something crazy, _

_ Our best is yet unknown,  _ Julie held out a hand to Flynn, who was cheering and dancing in the audience. Something about the girls’ relationship was so easy - something light and effortless, so cheerful it pleased an outsider’s eye. Alex smiled, thinking back at his own friendships - with Reggie, with Luke, with Bobby. With Willie too, if you count it as a friendship. His smile dropped.

_ That this moment is ours to own, _

_ ‘Cause we’re standing on the edge of great, _

_ On the edge of great,  _ they joined in

_ Great, _

_ On the edge of great, _

_ Great, _

_ On the edge of great, _

_ ‘Cause we’re standing on the edge of,  _ she climbed on the piano

Alex smiled. This was his favourite part.

_ Shout, shout,  _ they sang together

_ Come on and let it out, out _

_ Don’t gotta hide it, _

_ Let your colours blind their eyes, _

_ Be who you are, don’t compromise, _

_ Shout, shout, _

_ Come on and let it out, out, _

_ What doesn’t kill you makes you feel alive, _

_ Oh, I believe,  _ Julie sang. This was when they stop, Alex was sure of it, but Luke kept playing

_ I believe that we’re just one dream, _

_ Away from who we’re meant to be,  _ Luke leaned on the piano

No, this definitely wasn’t planned

_ That we’re standing on the edge of...  _ Julie stood up and the crowd cheered

_ Great! _

_ Something big, something crazy, _

_ Our best is yet unknown,  _ the ghosts sang together

_ That this moment is ours to own,  _ Julie joined in. Luke finally stopped sulking, Alex noted

_ ‘Cause we’re standing on the edge of great, _

_ On the edge of great, _

_ On the edge of great, _

_ On the edge of great, _

_ On the edge, _

_ On the edge of great, _

_ ‘Cause we’re standing on the edge of great, _

And they disappeared, leaving Julie to finish the song. Reggie puffed onto the couch again, his boots in places where they definitely shouldn’t be. 

“Take that off!”

Reggie stuck out his tongue

“You act like a toddler,”

Reggie stood up to put his bass in its place

“Wait,” he froze

“What?”

“Where’s Luke?”

Alex looked around. Luke was nowhere to be found, “Maybe he stayed with Julie?”

“But he was supposed to puff out!” Reggie exclaimed, “He said so when we were rehearsing!”

Alex shrugged, “I don’t know. He was acting weird when we played,”

Reggie nodded, “Yeah,”

That was the moment Luke decided to puff in. He was sweaty after the performance, but beaming and full of energy, “That was awesome, you guys!” dropped onto the couch and leaned on Reggie

“Dude, what happened?” Reggie turned to his friend

“Change of plans,” Luke grinned, “I sang the ending with Julie,”

Reggie frowned

“Okay,” Alex interrupted. They just finished an awesome gig. He won’t let them fight again, “Let’s go have some fun, huh? I think we deserve it,”

“Alright,” the other two replied simultaneously

Their ‘fun’ ended up being basketball, as no one had an idea how to celebrate a great performance when you’re a ghost from twenty-five years ago

“Feels like we should be celebrating or something,” Reggie said after Luke scored another goal, “What do you guys wanna do?”

None of them could answer before a jolt of pain shot through their chests. They fell to the ground, gasping for air and clutching their chests

“Not that,” Alex groaned

“That wasn’t like the other ones,” Luke winced, standing up, “It’s getting worse,”

“Why is this happening to us?” panted Reggie

“It’s because you guys are in serious trouble.” at the sound of the familiar voice, Alex was flooded with a wave of relief, but the feeling evaporated as quickly as it came when he saw Willie. His hands were folded defensively and he was looking down. Something was very, very wrong.

“Willie?” he stepped towards the ghost

“We need to talk,” he muttered

Alex looked at his friends for support, but they only shrugged and gave him a ‘you know him, you decide’ look.

He sighed, “Okay,”

Willie grabbed them by their wrists and puffed out. 

When they were walking through LA, he explained a few things. First, he worked for Caleb. The magician somehow owned Willie’s soul and the boy had no choice but to obey him. Second, Caleb marked them with some weird stamps when they visited his club. Third, if they don’t join Caleb’s band, the stamps will keep on sucking power out of them. 

With every word that fell out of Willie’s mouth, Alex felt his heart sink. Did he really bump into Alex that day, or was it calculated? Did he hang out with him because he actually enjoyed his company, or was it just a part of his job? Did their relationship even mean anything to the boy? Or was he just a pawn, a part of some bigger plan to get to the other guys? You’re spiralling again, he kicked himself. But it didn’t hurt any less. 

He fell behind and stared at his shoes, not wanting to look the ghost in the eyes. Not like that, not when he was on the verge of tears.

“All these jolts that we’re feeling is because Caleb put his stamp on us?” Luke demanded

“He’s threatened by you.” Willie explained, “He wants you under his control. You’re the only ghosts that can be visible to lifers without his help.”

This… was too much

“And you let him do this to us?” he spat, praying for his voice not to crack

Willie turned to face him. There were tears in his eyes. Alex stopped.

“I can’t stop him!” his voice cracked “He  _ owns my soul,  _ alright? He owns everybody’s soul at that club. If he even knew I was here talking to you, h-he’d… he would destroy me.”

No! No, no, no, no, no. This isn’t how this conversation is supposed to go! They’re supposed to fix things, not fight. He pushed the feeling of betrayal down and let his face relax.

“So,” Reggie interrupted, “if we don’t join his club, the weird power outage continues until there’s no power left at all?”

Willie closed his eyes, “Yes”

When he opened them, he was looking at Alex

“What exactly happens when the power goes out?” Reggie asked

“That’s… that’s it. You’re done” the ghosts’ eyes darted from one Phantom to another. It didn’t reassure him - instead, he felt like Willie slapped him in the face

“Uh-huh. Yeah. And what exactly do you mean by ‘we’re done’?” Reggie inquired, but Alex already knew the answer

“You just… you don’t exist… anymore. Not anywhere”

“What?” Alex spoke for the first time in a while

“So we have no choice?” Luke demanded, “we have to say goodbye to Julie, give up everything we’ve built together, and work for Caleb?”

Willie opened his mouth to answer, but Luke was faster

“That’s some club you guys got going on,” he hissed

“But there  _ is _ another option!” Willie said, “that’s why I’m here,”

“Another option?” Alex scoffed

“Just please hear me out!”

Alex narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything

“Alright,” Willie said when he decided he could talk, “if you guys figure out what your unfinished business is, you do it in time, you could cross over and be free from all this.”

“OK. So what’s our unfinished business?” Luke asked. Alex mentally facepalmed. Yes, because that’s how you find out your existence’s very purpose, the reason you weren’t granted a pass to the afterlife with all the other souls, he thought. By asking people who  _ betrayed  _ you and  _ lied _ to you. By asking  _ strangers.  _

Alex winced. Saying it like that felt like letting Willie go, like admitting that their relationship - whatever it was - was fake. It made something inside him twist, not in a good way.

“I- I don’t know, but since you all died at the same time, you know, it might be something you need to do together,” Willie answered

“Yeah, and why should we listen to a word you say?” Alex snapped

Willie was taken aback by the sharp words, “Because I care about you, Alex,” his voice cracked like he was going to cry. He probably was.  _ Alex  _ was. “And I hate that I brought you… and your friends into this mess.”

Alex looked down and Willie continued, “I, uh… I can’t be away for much longer. I’m so sorry. For everything.” he said and disappeared, leaving Alex with a new wound in his heart.

Alex turned to his friends “This is all my fault.” Why was his voice so weak? Willie was already gone. Why couldn’t he pull himself together? “I… I met Willie, Willie introduced us to Caleb, and now… now we’re screwed.”

“We all wanted to go to Caleb" said Luke

"We have to tell Julie," Reggie added. Yeah, poor Julie, Alex thought. Lost her mom and grieved for a year. Met a band that brought music back to her, only to leave her and  _ die _ .

"No, we can't do that," Luke seemed to be reading Alex's mind, "this just means more loss in her life, but," he shook his head, "if we don't want Caleb to own our souls, we have to figure out what our unfinished business is."

"Yeah, man. And how are we supposed to do that?" Alex interrupted him, "Alright? There was so much we wanted to do."

Luke looked away. No, he looked at  _ something. _

"What is it?"

"Yeah, but the night we died, there was one thing we wanted to do together"

Alex turned to where Luke was looking. The Orpheum shone bright with neons, huge and intimidating. It had the biggest stage Alex ever stood on, had the biggest crowds waiting in queues and definitely the biggest reputation. He couldn't believe they were just hours away from playing on that stage, performing before that crowd, and lost it all because of hotdogs. It felt like the universe laughed in their faces: 

_ Thought you'd impress me with your little songs? Nah, your luck ends here.  _ BOOM! They died.

"Play the Orpheum?” Reggie asked,

“Getting that gig was literally impossible. Even after people knew who we were, we had to hustle, call in every favour we had. It took us  _ years! _ ” Alex complained

A jolt shot through their chests with newly found intensity, like it was trying to say ‘I know what you’re planning. It won’t work.’

“We don’t have years,” Luke coughed

They had to figure out something, and they needed to do it fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooooooo did you like it? I hope so lmao I worked my ass off. Tell me what you think in the comments <3


	3. I was not right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their time on Earth is running out - what will the ghosts do with that information?
> 
> Some angst, a bit emotional, but we all love it, don't we?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter you guys :) hope you like it!

Alex wondered if he didn’t make the events of the previous day up.

He started the day worrying if one of his friends has a crush on another and ended it with the knowledge that he and his friends might die. Again. And again, as a result of their own stupidity. 

He sat on the couch, facing the Orpheum’s scene and thinking about the events of the last few weeks. He and his bandmates, with the exception of Bobby, died a stupid death after eating hotdogs dipped in anti-freeze. They were summoned back to the living world by Julie. He met Willie. Julie started singing with their band. They met Caleb. Caleb put his weird stamps on them. And now they were going to die, because their unfinished business was playing the freaking Orpheum.

How did this all happen? He looked back on the day that changed their lives. Ended them, to be specific. In just a few hours, they were going to be legends. There were four of them back then, too. Alex missed Bobby sometimes - something didn’t feel right about it, how the boy published all of their music and didn’t do as much as mention their names. He was always so sweet, so honest and invested in the band almost as much as Luke. He’d never do that, no matter how many years had passed. That night, he did everything in his power to get them to the hospital. Alex never thought about what happened to the boy after that - after his best friends died, after his band, the center of his life, disappeared. It must’ve been traumatizing - seeing them in agony, calling the ambulance, panicking and fearing for their lives. Were they too fast to judge him? That night must’ve changed Bobby. It changed all of them.

“This is awesome, you guys. We’re playing the Orpheum!” Luke said before they died, “I can’t even count how many bands have played here and ended up being huge. We’re gonna be legends!” his words echoed in Alex’s head, a spooky reminder of what could happen if they don’t watch their backs.

Alex looked at his friends, then. The singer was talking about their upcoming performance. Reggie watched him ramble like nothing else existed except for Luke. He didn’t take his eyes off him when he ate, and he didn’t stop staring when the pain started. How did Alex not notice it before? The lingering stares, his cheeks reddening with every touch, his muscles tensing every time Luke came close. Reggie couldn’t have been more obvious and his bandmates couldn’t have been more oblivious.

Willie materialized beside him. Alex didn’t have to look to know it was him. He didn’t say anything.

“Is this seat taken?” Willie asked softly. He was scared that Alex didn’t trust him anymore, and it broke the ghost’s heart.

Alex looked at him and shrugged, “This whole thing sucks,” he exhaled

“Yeah, I messed up,”

“No, it’s like you said... “ Alex met the other boy’s eyes, “you know, you didn’t have a choice. I mean, Caleb owns your soul.”

“No.” Willie interrupted him, shaking his head, “No, still, I know what he’s capable of. I brought you guys right to him. When you guys asked me, I should’ve just skated away.”

Alex looked at him. The look in his eyes was sincere - he was genuinely sorry. He regretted what he did. Alex knew he couldn’t be mad at him, but only now something inside of him broke. He cared about the boy, he really did. And he knew long before that he had a crush on him. But only now he could admit it - he fell for Willie. He fell heads over heels and the feeling wasn’t going away anytime soon. He was going to die and he couldn’t do anything about it no matter how hard he tried, and he was going to cease to exist and he hated it and everything sucked. But when he looked at him, it didn’t matter, because Willie was there, with him, and they talked again, like they used to before this whole mess, and as long as they did, Alex was okay.

“I would have still followed you,” he turned to the other ghost

“Man… I would do anything to take back what I did to you,” Willie’s voice trembled

Alex felt a jolt shot through him and instinctively clutched his chest, groaning. It was getting worse.

“I am so sorry,” Willie breathed, “I mean, did you guys figure out what your unfinished business is?”

Alex scoffed, “Not like it’s gonna happen,” he looked around the Orpheum - huge and elegant, with black couches and colorful spotlights, “We have to play here,”

“The… the Orpheum?” the other boy raised his eyebrows,

“Yeah, I mean, we were two hours away from getting on that stage, the night we died,” he gestured to the platform,

“You guys were gonna be legends,”

Alex looked down, “We were,”

Willie covered the other boy’s hand with his, taking Alex by surprise. He did that before, but this time it wasn’t playful messing around but reassuring, comforting, and this time Alex returned it.

When he came back to the studio, he found Luke laying on the couch and scribbling in his journal. The boy was wearing his dad’s flannel, the one he took with him when he left his parents’ house. Alex must’ve found him in an emotional time. It seemed like they all reflected on the past when their future was dark and inevitable. 

“Hey,” he began awkwardly,

“Oh! Alex,” Luke’s head perked up, “you’re back,”

“Yeah,”

“Yeah,” Luke repeated

Alex looked around, “Where’s Reggie?”

The boy wasn’t in the studio, that was for sure.

“I don’t know. He’s not here very often, lately,” Luke said

That was true. Luke didn’t complain often, so he must’ve been pretty fed up by now. Alex doubted that the boy knew why Reggie had been avoiding him, though. Being bright wasn’t really Luke’s thing.

“I thought I’d go visit my parents, you know?” Luke started again, “If something’s gonna happen to us, I better say goodbye this time,” he sounded careless, almost cheerful, but the look in his eyes said otherwise. Out of them all, Luke was the closest with his parents, so when he ran away, both them and the boy were hurt. He hadn’t forgiven himself for leaving, but he never had the confidence to come back. And then they died, and twenty-five years had passed, so it was too late.

“Okay,” Alex gave him a reassuring look and the ghost disappeared

He was going to look for Reggie when something caught his eye. On the coffee table, next to Luke’s journal, laid a black notebook. It was the one the boy left here before yesterday’s performance. It felt like it was years, not hours, ago. It was untouched. Luke either didn’t care, or didn’t want to invade his bandmate’s privacy. Alex was going to leave it too, but his curiosity won and he picked it up.

Most pages were blank - usually, Reggie ripped out his songs and gave them to Luke. The first thing he came across wasn’t even a song - just one word, written over and over again:

_ STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOPSTOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP  _ _ STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP  _

The next thing Alex found were short lyrics:

_ You are a sky full of stars,  _

_ I look up, you steal my breath, _

_ I want more, I want you for myself _

_ I reach out and you’re far away, _

Did Reggie write this? Alex didn’t think the bassist could write cheesy love songs. He riffled through the notebook, but there was nothing else in it, except for a few doodles - the boy’s guitar, the band rehearsing and a few dogs and horses of different breeds and sizes.

Alex put the journal down, feeling guilty, like he invaded Reggie’s personal space. He probably did. Alex sighed - he should really talk to the other ghost.

Reggie wasn’t that hard to find. He was sitting in the kitchen with Julie’s dad, commenting on the photos in the man’s computer.

“Ooh, I like this one!” he pointed to a picture of the Molinas’ living room, “It’s got a good composition, buddy,”

Alex puffed onto a chair next to him, “What are you doing?”

Reggie turned to him, “Eh, I needed a pick me up, and hanging with Rey always does the trick.”

“Does it?” he raised his eyebrows. Is that why you’ve been avoiding your best friend, Alex wanted to say, “Okay.”

“Dad, I have a ghost update!” Carlos marched in, holding a shoebox

“Okay, this might be interesting.”

“Really? Come on, Carlos, we’ve talked about this,” Rey looked up from the computer

“I know you’re not a believer, but listen to this.”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.”

“You go, little man!” Reggie grinned,

“After Julie played with her hologram band yesterday, i couldn’t sleep,”

“Those songs do get stuck in your head, huh?” Rey added,

“He liked our new music, too,” Reggie raised his eyebrows at Alex,

“Nah, still doesn’t count,”

“I learned on YouTube that ghosts haunt because something’s bothering them,” Carlos continued. At least he got that right. “So to get rid of them, you gotta find out what crawled out their ghost butts!”

“He said ghost butts!” Reggie giggled,

“Language!” Rey scolded,

“Sorry!” Reggie and Carlos said simultaneously.

Alex wondered sometimes if he was best friends with a toddler.

“So, I searched the house for clues on who used to live here,” Carlos opened his box, “and I found a bunch of old stuff in the garage. What I learned is we’re being haunted by a ghost… who had a dream.”

That part is true, Alex thought,

“Okay?” Rey said,

“A dream that never came true.”

Still right,

“A dream that was cut short… by a tragic accident,” he stood up,

Alright, this was getting scarily accurate

“Okay, you- you don’t actually think…” Alex stammered,

“Our house is being haunted…”

Please don’t be right, Alex thought, please,

“by a very talented…”

No, no, no… Please let it be something else...

“Chef.”

Both ghosts let out their breaths, relieved.

“Looks like somebody fell asleep watching ‘Ghost Hunters’ and ‘Chopped’,” Rey laughed,

“You know how there are two restaurants in LA that claim they’ve invented the French dip?” Carlos didn’t let his father ruin his excitement, “Guess what I’ve found in this shoebox?”

Ray raised his eyebrows,

“A recipe for a third french dip!” the boy announced, showing them a yellow, wrinkled paper,

“No way!” Reggie exclaimed,

“No way!” Rey said right after,

“It was invented in 1905, by a guy who… dreamed of a soggy sandwich,” Carlos said, “But died before he could share his gift.”

“The gift of dipping…” Reggie spoke at the same time as Rey, “It’s like we’re the same person!” he beamed, gesturing between the two,

Alex scoffed, “Just like!” Seriously, Reg?

Carlos continued, “So we gotta make his sandwich, and we gotta eat it.”

“Oh, then, he’ll see his dream realized and finally leave this world for good.” 

“So are you in?” the boy asked his dad,

“Yeah, let’s make a dream come true!”

“Alright,” Rey stood up and followed his son, “I do love French dips,” he muttered, closing the computer,

“I’m gonna miss them,” Reggie said

Alex nodded, “Me too,”

They stood up and puffed away.

They landed on the beach where Reggie’s house used to be. It looked better now - the big, white houses with perfectly tended lawns and expensive cars were replaced by bike shacks and restaurants. The beach was full of people laughing, playing and having fun. The only thing that stayed the same was the ocean - dark, endless and intimidating. People playing on the beach never seemed to think about it, but every time Alex looked at the water, he felt small and unimportant. The sound of honking cars was drowned out by waves crashing on the shore, the air smelled like fish, salt and peacefulness and the time seemed to slow down here. 

He looked at Reggie. The boy sat on the sand, not worried for his pants to get dirty. Alex sighed and dropped next to him. It was now or never.

“Is everything okay?” he asked the boy,

“Yeah.” Reggie turned to him, “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know,” Alex replied sarcastically, “Maybe because you barely spend time with us outside of rehearsals? And when you’re there, you rarely even speak?”

“I- um…”

“Do you think it’s not obvious that you’ve been avoiding us?” his voice softened, “That you’ve been avoiding Luke?”

Reggie looked down, trying to hide the blush creeping on his face. It didn’t work. Alex sighed.

“Reg, I’m gonna ask you a question, and I need you to answer it honestly, okay?” he put his hand on the bassist's shoulder. Now was the time. He had to ask him about it eventually, and given that they were going to die in a few days, there wasn’t much time left. So Alex gathered all the confidence he had left, all of his bravery, and asked the question that was hanging over them for quite some time now. Here goes nothing, he thought, “Reggie, how do you feel about Luke?”

Reggie sighed. For a second, Alex thought he had said too much. Overstepped some boundaries. When the boy looked up, there were tears in his eyes, “I don’t know anymore,”

Something twisted inside of the ghost. He loved his best friend with all of his heart and he hated that he felt like that. Reggie was the brightest, purest, most cheerful person he had ever met, like a human ray of sunshine. He didn’t  _ deserve _ all this pain. Alex hugged the boy like they were children again, throwing rocks into the very same ocean that hummed beside them, getting cuts and crying about missed tosses. He felt Reggie shake against his chest, felt his tears on his shoulder and felt his hands tugging at his shirt like he was the only thing that kept Reggie from slipping. He held him for minutes, or hours, or years. He held him tight until there were no tears left, until his sobs became dry and silent.

“Alex,” Reggie croaked, slowly pulling back,

“Yeah?” he asked softly,

“How did you know you were gay?”

And even though he knew it was a stupid thing to say, Alex replied, “Well, how did you know you were straight?”

Reggie laughed, wiping the tears from his cheeks, “That’s the point,” he whispered,

“Like this, I guess,” Alex said,

Reggie looked down, “Did I just come out to you, then?”

Alex smiled, “Yeah, it would seem so,”

More tears fell from Reggie’s eyes as he tried to wipe them, “Hey, I’m here for you, okay?” Alex put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and Reggie relaxed a bit under the touch, “Always will be.”

“I still like girls, though,” he whispered,

“There’s the term ‘bisexual’, you know?” Alex said, “It means you like girls and boys. Everyone, really.”

“You can do that?” Reggie’s eyes widened as he pushed back,

“I mean, you do, right?” Alex laughed,

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.”

They both laughed and sat together, shoulder to shoulder, watching the waves crash on the shore. The ocean was big, and dark, and scary, and so was their future. But they’d find a way. Alex knew they would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We did it, folks! Reggie and Alex had ~the talk~
> 
> Tell me what you think in the comments <3


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